7. 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates.
We come now to the last of the seven ‘Blesseds,’ Beatitudes of Revelation. There are three parts to it: (i) “those who wash their robes,” (ii) “they can have access to the three of life,” and (iii) “enter into the city by the gates.”
i. With respect to the first part, I have dealt with the subject of the robes and the meaning of their being washed previously (see Beatitude number three above).
Robes in Revelation are ultimately white because they are ‘washed,’ signifying the purity of the wearer. The real importance of this is that these are those who have reached heaven because of their remaining steadfast in their faith and having overcome the evil in the world. Christ’s death, his shed blood, is what washes us clean. We enter into this pure state if, having heard the gospel, we believe and are washed by Jesus blood and symbolically cleansed by being baptized with water.
This is a controversial point for many, but this could include many who have never heard the gospel as we know it. However, they have tried their best, with whatever revelation or knowledge they have, to live in the image of God, such as they understand him. I believe Jesus’ death covers their sins as well as those who know the gospel and make an informed decision to repent and follow Jesus. This is how we can say there is only one way into heaven. However, it could be true that there are two ways at least in which Jesus sacrifice can be applied. Recall that when Jesus spoke of the final judgment day to his disciples, he listed good deeds necessary to have been done to gain entry to heaven. He did not say it is because we believed in him or were ‘born again.’ We also know that The Bible speaks of many who believed in and served the God they knew, long before Jesus lived and died, long before ‘born again’ language was known. Really, for example, one could say this covers everyone in the Old Testament. Thus, those with white robes cold be all those who, at the final judgment, are ushered into their eternal reward by Jesus for what they have done while on earth, as well as what they believed.
ii. Then we read that these individuals will have access to the ‘tree of life.’ What is the significance of this? Where else does the Bible speak of a tree of life’? In Genesis, of course:
2:8 “The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.
2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of
the orchard.)” A few verses later we read, 2:16 “Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may
freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard…” We know also that there was another tree named as
‘the tree of knowledge of good and evil’ that man was told not to eat of. This same injunction is not
given against eating from the tree of life though. Thus, at this point in that narrative, it seems it would
have been alright to eat from the tree of life. After all, death had not yet entered the picture, so eating
from it would not have changed anything in that regard. Life at that point seemed to be eternal.
We likely know the rest of this story. Man ate of the tree they were not supposed to, and that introduced death and a whole lot of other negative things into God’s good world. As a consequence, man could no longer live in God’s perfect garden. He could no longer be in the same space God had made for them to be completely together in. The intimate fellowship of God and man that life began with, that relationship, was spoiled. Of course, we know, as we have already been talking of here, God came back in Genesis three with the beginnings of a plan to make things right again. God was not going to let his good world, creation, including man, be lost. He loved what was created too much for that. It was too good to let it go forever.
At the same time, when a wrong choice is made, as eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil was, there will be consequences. One of these, we know, was that man was expelled from the garden. And what did God say at the time was a reason for that? Genesis again, 3:22 “And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Death had entered creation and needed to be dealt with properly. To eat of the tree of life without their disobedience being dealt with, would have been too easy of a way for man to get around the consequence of their ill-informed choice.
So, according to this verse, there is still a tree of life… somewhere. Of course, it is described here as being in ‘heaven’ (Rev. 22:1-3a). Indeed, now we see there are actually twelve such trees. Twelve is another of those significant numbers in The Bible. Think twelve tribes of Israel and twelve Apostles. Now those with the white robes, whom we also know refers to those already in heaven, having made a choice to accept Jesus corrective action on the cross, or at least been covered by his blood for their good deeds, as we discussed above, can once again eat of the tree of life. Indeed, it is referred to as having ‘leaves for the healing of the nations (22:2b).” Thanks be to God, we will have access to God’s good garden once again. How wonderful will that be! How blessed to be there indeed!
iii. But there is one more component to this beatitude. We who wear the white robes can enter the city by the gates. The garden we have just been describing is seen in Revelation as being inside a city. What
would John have been thinking about when he wrote this? Note what the city is named: Revelation 21:2 “And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem…” Jerusalem was the place God had chosen to place his temple on earth. It was the centre point of God’s presence on earth. It was to this city the faithful Jews came every year for the various feasts that they celebrated here in the presence of God. Here they came to worship God. Especially for special occasions like the Passover, they came by the multitudes. And where did they go? Through the gates into the city.
But there is a big difference between that scenario and what is pictured here. Sure, the Jews knew that God was not confined to Jerusalem, to the temple. At the same time, they did not see God there. In fact, the place where God was said to dwell, between the cherubim on top of the Ark of the Covenant, was behind a veil in The Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could go there, and that only once a year.
Now, when we enter the gates of ‘the new heaven,’ we will see God. We will experience his presence in a way the Jews of old in the earthly Jerusalem never did. We will be ‘back’ to God’s good garden, to be with him the way we were created to be. We really cannot imagine what that will be like. But just think of it. If the first readers or Revelation were listening to this being read, what hope and joy will have filled their souls – “You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy…” the Apostle Peter writes in 1:8, then, 1:9 “because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.” This was what those early Christians understood was waiting for them beyond the trials they were going through in the Roman Empire. Indeed, whenever and wherever we live, this hope is also for us. This is the enduring message of Revelation. We will ‘return’ to the garden.
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